Card-feeding mechanism



May 18 1926.

W. M. INGRAM CARD FEEDING MEG'HANISM Filed July 15 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,584,773 W. M. INGRAM CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Filed July 1925 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 18 1926 Patented May 18, 1926.,

WALTER M. INGRAM, 0F SUDBROOK PARK, MABYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE SANITARY TEA BAGGING COMPANY, OF BALTI- MORE, IHARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

CARD-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed July 15, 1925. Serial No. 43,889.

This invention relates to card feeding mechanisms and has for. an object to provide means for feeding from a stack of cards the bottom card with new and 1m proved action and co-actions A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for maintaining a stack of cards in vertical position with a new and improved type of slide member for reciproeating beneath the stack of cards to remove from the bottom the lowermost card and feed it forwardly to a different position.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a stack holding chamber means for sustaining the stack of cards and at times lifting and at other times dropping said stack as the slide beneath reciprocates and in timed relation thereto. v a

A further object of the invention 1s to provide improved means for holding the projectedcard in contact w th the sl de as it is being moved to its requlred position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain novel parts, elements, units, combinations, mteractlons, mechanical movements and functions as disclosed in the drawings together with mechanical and functional equivalents thereof as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the improved card feeding mechanism in side elevation.

F'gure 2 is a transverse sectional vlew taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of the mechanism partly in section with the slide positioned at its limit of movement opposite that shown at Figure 1.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism with transverse sectional view through the card stack chamber taken on line 4r4: of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the card stack chamber taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.v I, v

' The present invention embodies a card stack chamber which is in the form of an upstanding chute 10. In the drawing-ethic upstanding chute or card chamber has been shown as square or substantially square,but it is to be understood that the shape of this chamber is immaterial to the present invention and will be governed by the shape and proportions of the cards to be operated upon.

To the lower end of this card chamber cheek plates 11 are secured, provided with grooves 12 and 13 which in the normal position of the device will extend horizontally. In the groove 13 a slide 14- is mounted to reciprocatelongitudinally in a normally horizontal plane and is provided with a tongue 15 which operates in said groove and a laterally extending flange 16.

Mounted in the groove 12 is also a slide plate 17 connected with the slide 12 b means of pins 18 extending rigidly upwar ly from the slide 14 and engaging in slots 19 in said plate 17. The slide 17 is preferably covered with strips 20 of some friction increasing material as for instance rubber, leaving a longitudinal space interveir ing between said strips and over said slots 19.

Into this space a finger 21 is projected from a chamber 22 secured to the side of the chamber and adjustable by means of screws 23 in slots 24. This member 22 car ries a rubber or other friction member 25 which extends under one shortened side of the stack chamber as indicated more particularly at Figure 3 and its inner surface substantially flush with the inner wall of said chamber; This member 25 is adjustable with the member 22 to provide for the necessary variation of spacing relative to the friction strips 20 to accommodate the sliding thereunder of one of the cards 26 in the stack. These cards 26 are held downwardly by added weight, as for instance the weight 26, so that they rest upon the strips 20 when the'slide 17 is under said stack.

Auxiliary means for supporting the stack is also provided in a finger 27 which extends beneath the wall of the chamber at the side opposite the friction member 25 and is pi'voted at 28; This finger 27 oscilrates through a very limited are upon its pivot 28 from thepositioii shown at Fig ure 1 to the' position shown at Figure 8. Such oscillation is accdmplished bji means of an arm 29 rigid ass preferably integral ith the finger 27. said arm extending along beside and parallel with one of the cheek plates 11.

it its end opposite the pivot the arm 29 is provided with a foot 30 pivoted to the arm at 31 and the flange 16 of the slide ll is provided with a notch 32 which coacts with said foot in the manner hereinatter more fully described.

The arm 29 is also provided with a lip 33 which extends beyond the pivot 28 opposite the finger 27 and in position to bear upon the card 26 as it is ejected from the stack, this lip increasing the frictional engagement of said card with the rubber strips to insure its proper and complete projection. At Figure l a member 3 1- with spring clip 35 is shown into which this card '26" is inserted by the movement of the slide, it being understood,however, that this is merely to indicate conventionally a means for receiving the card andin no way a limitation upon or forminga part of the present invention.

In operation, the device a embled and arranged in the forward position shown at Figure 1, that is to say just delivering one card, and it is to he understood that tlieslide is now atits forward limit or movement and about to return. Of course, it is'to beunderstood that some mechanical means for moving the slide is employed but it forms no part of the present invention. The slidel-l now being moved r'rom position shown at Figure 1 toward the position shown at Figure 3, the foot hearing thereon will move from the position shown at -tull lines at Figure 1 to the position shown in dotted lines whereby through the weight of said foot and the weight. of the arm 29 the lip 33 will be raised and the finger QT lowered. In the position shown at Figure 1, the linger 27 is raised to lift the stack of cards to enable the lower card propelled by the slide to pass thereunder and at the initiation of return movement of the finger T the sustained stack is dropped. As there is a provision for lost motion between the slides ll and 17, it is obvious that the lip 33 will raise and the finger 27 dropnpon the first movement of theslide 15 and before the slide 17 starts to move. The starting of movement of the slide 17 from the position shown at Figure 1 by reason oi. the lower card resting upon the rubber strips will cause the lower card to move with the slide 17 under the detaining member and into engagement with the finger 1. This move ment is suliicient to free the card from its support upon the finger 27 and, when so At the limit of movement of the slide ii. the lower corner oi the toot 3U drops into the slot 32, as shown at i igurcs 2) and i. it these figures the sliding arrangement is shown at the extreme of movement. Yhen the movement starts in the opposite or ejecting direction, the first "action is to cause the foot to be turned to supporting podilon. that is to ea the position shown in full lines at Figure 1, such turning movement beinginsured by the engagement of the heel oi the foot in the slot 32. By reason oi the formation of this foot with the long base, the slide may now slide under this "too while it is resting trict-ionally upon the flange l6.

The raising of the arm 2.) by the movemcnt ot' the foot 3 hits the stack of cards 25 by the lifting of the linger 27 so that. when the slide 17 starts to move, the raised support thereon moves therewith under the linger whichholds the cards out o't' position to e'tl'ect any detention upon such movement. The card moves with the slide 17 forwardly to the position shown at Figure 1 and is pushed under the spring clip 35. This com- .pletes a cycle-oi operation and the return is as hereinbefore described, releasing the card thus inserted.

hat I claim to be new is:

1. A. card feeding apparatus comprising a chute, a slide operating in a plane perpendicular to the lower end of the chute, said slifdeipresenting a bifurcated upper surface, :means within the chute for supporting one end of the stack of cards in said chute, means. to move said supporting means .in timed relation to the action of the slide, occupying at one limit of its movement a position in the bifurcation and in its other .limitabove the surface of the slide, a stop positioned to limit the movement of a card in one direction, and a lip positioned to maintain a moving card in frictional engagement with the slide.

A card feeding apparatus eomprising a card stack, a slide moving ,perpclulicular to the lower end of said stack, a sliding memher carried by said slide and connected therewith by a lost motion mechanism, a finger positioned to limit the movement of cards on said sliding mechanism in one direction, av lip positioned to bear upon the card moving in the opposite direction, and means to raise and lower said lip in timed relation to the reciprocation of said sl de.

A card feeding n'icchanism comprising means for imiintaining cards in vertical stack, a linger inserted into said slack and adapted to support "the stack, means carried by the slide for raising and lowering the finger in timed relation to the reciprocation of the slide, a feeding mechanism carried by the slide and connected therewith by a lost motion connection, and a lip operated by the finger operating mechanism adapted to bear upon the card on said feeding mechanism.

i. A card feeding mechanism comprising means for maintaining cards in a vertical stack a compound slide operating beneath the stack, one part of which moves between the Wider limits of reciprocation than the other, means carried by the lesser moving part for frictional engagement with the 10 lower card of the stack, means Within the stack for supporting the stack independently of the sliding mechanism, a lip Without the stack proportioned to bear upon a card on said lesser moving slide, and means for operating the finger and lip in timed relation With the sliding of the greater moving slide part.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

WALTER M. INGRAM. 

